Lock assemblies for use with doors or windows, hinged or sliding, are well known in the art. Such lock assemblies typically include one or more movable lock members mounted at a vertical position along a free side edge of the door or window in close proximity with an actuator positioned for convenient manual operation. A handle or lever is normally included as part of the lock assembly and is adapted for manual rotation to retract the latch bolt and thereby permit the door or window to be opened.
Although door/window lock assemblies of the general type described above have performed their latching and/or locking functions in a generally satisfactory manner, there is a continuous need for further improvements in high security lock assemblies designed to safely and positively lock a door/window against unauthorized entry. Toward this end, so-called multipoint lock assemblies have been proposed with multiple lock members provided along the door/window side edge for engaging a corresponding number of keeper plates mounted on the adjacent door/window jamb. Generally the multipoint lock assembly is fashioned as an elongate member with locking elements that may be thrown at the ends of the assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,929 to Eller et al. describes a multipoint mortise lock assembly that includes an extended face piece mounted flush along the edge of a door, a mortise lock connected to the face piece, and a pair of hook bolt latch mechanisms mounted to the face piece above and below the mortise lock. An elongated actuator, which is preferably a flat rod slidingly mounted to the back of the face piece, acts to extend and retract the hook bolts in synchronism with a deadbolt in the mortise lock. The actuator is connected between a deadbolt arm in the mortise lock, which drives the deadbolt, and the hook bolt latch mechanisms. The deadbolt arm is driven conventionally, such as by a key or a thumb latch, and the design allows one hand operation of the multipoint mortise lock assembly. This assembly is basically used for a hinged door.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,716 to MacNeil, et al. describes another kind of multipoint lock assembly for use with a hinged or swinging door. This multipoint door lock assembly includes a plurality of latch pins for securing the door in a tightly closed condition. The multiple latch pins are adapted for coordinated operation from a single or main actuator, in combination with a security deadbolt and a related panic release mechanism for quickly and easily unlocking and opening the door from the inside.
Multipoint lock assemblies that include geometric locking of locking members are also known. By “geometric locking” it is meant that a portion of the locking member moves in a channel, groove or similar passage, and at some point is prevented from moving further in the channel at least partially by a geometric shape or arrangement of the channel with respect to the locking member. For example, British Patent GB 2229488 to ABT Hardware Ltd. describes a multipoint lock that has a main unit and at least one auxiliary unit coupled by an actuating member which is operated by an operating member of the main unit to cause a locking element of the auxiliary unit to move between unlocked and locked positions. The auxiliary unit comprises an actuating mechanism that includes a drive transmission element to transmit drive from the actuating member to the locking element. The actuating member may be moved to bring the drive transmission element from a first, unlocked position to a second, locked position. Afterwards, further movement of the actuating member may geometrically lock the drive transmission element in its second, locked position.